The St. Johns herald., 1887-08-04
The Assessment of 1887.

EDITOR HgaALD-"Fair Play" in his communication in your last issue deals with the assessment question too light ly-he does not point out any of the hardships worked by the present. meth od-nether does he set forth the injury done by the criminal manner in which many make their returns. do not SUD- pose any one doubts hut there are a than are returned, and that 1t is worse with sheep. Your correspondent firmly believes this would all he changed if the property owners would look at the mat ter in It's proper light.
 The annual expenses of the county government is hound to be about SC much every year. This money has to he raised by taxaticn-there is no other method provided under our laws by which this end can be accomplished. This should be borne as nearly equal, by all citizens, as possible, according to the property owned hy each, for every one has the same protection under the law and is equally henefitted. But this is not done. contend that under the present method the poor man pays more, according 10 his means. than the rich. Take, for instance. man who only owns span of vol Lo:ses. two or three head of milk COWS and has hIs house furnished with only what is abso- lutely necessary to mert the daily re quirements of his family. The assesso; comes along and lie has to give in all he owns-there is no way of lodging it. He cannot say he has only one horse his ne;ghhOrS would all know that he had periured himself, and he is com pelled to>pay taxes on every dollar he l. worth. and at a highe: rate of taxation than would be, if every person were as sessed for what they actually own. Those who are much more able 10 pay the taxes, and who make false retuInf of their property, are to that extent or pressors of their poorer neighbors.
 Suppose every one in the county were to give in all their propeity-tte cattle men return every hoof of which they know themselves possessed, the sheer men to do the same, tine merchant. the artizan, the professional men and Ih" farmer to follow the good example set their taxes in the, aggregate would not be much greater than at present, for the reason that there would be heavy in- crease of taxable property, and the rate of taxation would be reduced in the same ratio. This is simple proposi ton. We all knoE that it costs about so much every year to carry on the gov ernment of tine county, and that the cost would be no greater if the assess able property footed up s4,000,0CO in stead of $2,0oO.00o.
 Another thing in which the count, would be benefited very materially. ii such returns were made, would be hei credit. We are trying to sell bonds to fund our indebtedness. Does any one with ordinary intelligence ionbt, bu, tile bonds would have been much more sought after, had there been fair and full assessment of asi property iH 1886.
 There is one fact, hoBever. to whicl the writer would direct the attention c. the Assessor, and that is, that with but few exceptions, the large taxpayer, have returned reasonable appreciation of property, while the contrary is tn, case with a very large majority of tht smaller ones. They, almost to 2 man have gone backward. Can any one ex- plain the cause? The merchants, too. seem to be going down hill. To d casua observer they appear to be carrying as large stock of goods as last year and doing fully as much business, but their returns show considerable falling of.
 These, Mr. Editor, are few crude suggestions, thrown out at random, fo the cons iteration of those who know that they have failed 10 give in all their